PSCI 1524 Earth Science & Society Syllabus H01 Fall 2026

Attendance & Absences

· This is a face-to-face class and attendance is expected and will be taken at each class meeting (lecture and lab) and in some cases may count for credit.

· Attendance at the first laboratory meeting is required. A student may not participate in lab if they have missed the first lab meeting, which includes the mandatory lab safety training. If a student misses the first lab meeting, they must notify the instructor to make arrangements to make up the safety training before the second lab meeting. If a student has not completed the safety training before the second lab meeting, the student must either drop the course or the student will be institutionally withdrawn.

· Having three or more lab absences could result in a failing grade for this course.

· Please inform instructor if an absence (lecture or lab) is due to an unavoidable circumstance, e.g, military duty, court appearance, hospitalization, quarantine, etc. Some unavoidable absences may be excused at the instructor’s discretion.

· Exceptions to attendance policies may be possible if you need to miss class due to athletics or academic related absences. If you are an athlete or early college student still in high school, please let me know as soon as possible if you will need to miss for athletics or academics. I can only work with you if you notify me in advance.

Quizzes and in-class work

· In-class/lab work and quizzes may be announced or unannounced.

· Quizzes and in-class work done in lecture or lab usually cannot be made-up if missed.

· The lowest quiz will be dropped.

Final exam

· The final exam will be cumulative, multiple choice, and will cover lecture and lab content.

· The final exam usually cannot be taken early or late, however, unusual situations will be considered at the professor’s discretion and according to college policies.

· If a student misses the final exam, they will fail the course.

· The final exam date is listed in the course calendar.

Laboratory Policies (We will discuss this part during the first lab meeting.)

· Having three or more lab absences could result in a failing grade for this course. It is the student’s responsibility to know how many labs have been missed. It is recommended that if a student is not sure of how many labs they have missed that the student should meet with the professor during office hours before the last day to withdraw from the course to determine the actual number of absences.

· Students must arrive to lab on time and must be ready to begin at the scheduled start time. Students are expected to have read the lab procedures and to have completed any assigned pre-lab questions before coming to lab. Assume that pre-lab assignments will be due at the start of lab and will not be accepted late for any reason. Completing prelab assignments are an important part of being prepared for lab.

o The first missed prelab will get a verbal warning.

o The second missed prelab will get a written warning.

o The third missed prelab will get a referral to the dean.

o If a student misses a fourth prelab, they will not be allowed to participate in that week’s lab.

· Students that arrive after the pre-lab lecture has begun will not be permitted to participate in lab that day and will receive a zero on that day’s assignment. This type of absence will count as a lab absence.

· Students that do not have proper apparel and/or goggles will not be permitted to participate in lab. This will count as a lab absence. Proper apparel and goggles are required for lab regardless of the activity scheduled for the day. The professor does not have loaner goggles to share.

· To receive the full credit for the lab activity, the student must stay for the entire lab period, unless dismissed early by the professor. A student will only be dismissed early if they have completed the entire laboratory activity and can turn it in. If a student leaves before being dismissed, the student will forfeit the points for the laboratory activity for that day and will receive a zero and the absence will count as a lab absence.

· If a student does not complete the lab activity in the allotted time, the student could lose points on that day’s lab activity.

· Experiment make-ups due to absence are not an option.

· Most lab assignments will be turned in through CANVAS.

· It is highly suggested to attend every lab and only reserve lab absences for unavoidable absences; do not use lab absences like you would vacation days.

· The two lowest lab assignments will be dropped.

Other policies

· All work must be submitted by the last regular day of classes before finals week and no work will be accepted after the last regular day of classes.

· Electronic devices, laptops, cellphones, etc. are allowed during class for class related use only and at appropriate times.

· Audio/video recording of lecture is not permitted unless pre-approved by the professor.

· Cell phones

o Turn cell phone to silent or off before the start of class.

o Cell phone usage for non-class related activities (texting, etc.) is not allowed during class.

· Know how to access your CANVAS and your KCC email account. It is important that you find a way to have access to the Internet for checking your KCC email, for using MasteringChemistry and for CANVAS.